Lazio Have the Oldest Average Starting 11 Across Europe’s Top 5 Leagues This Season – The Laziali -
https://thelaziali.com/2021/04/08/l...-11-across-europes-top-5-leagues-this-season/
I can't find the exact tweet, but here's some lazio article when inzaghi was still there complaining that he doesn't trust youth.
The tweet showed something like he raised the average age by 4/5 years or something in his time there.
I never said either that he buys old players or demands them. The facts just prove that he prefers older players to playing youth
He didn't really raise the average age, the core of his players got older.
A very insignificant portion of the transfers made during his time were what could classify as "old players".
He didn't sign any Dzeko or Kolarov type aged 36 and above.
Or Vidal, Mkhitaryan or Acerbi type, 33 and above.
Him trusting the youth players at Lazio or the new (bad) recruits that Tare brought him is a fact.
But we cannot really say that's it's him asking for these players at Inter.
In his first full Lazio season, he had the following stats for players participating in more than 20 games or with more than 1,000 minutes (no Europe)
Parolo (31), Basta (31), Lulic (30), Biglia (30), Radu (29) were his oldest players.
Of those 8 were 23 or less. Including Milinkovic-Savic, Felipe Anderson and Keita Balde...
The total number of these players were: 15
So more than half were what we'd call young. If we extend the age to 26, we can also add De Vrij and Immobile there.
From the rest, the only over30 player that featured was goalkeeper Marchetti. Most others ranged from 16 to 23. Including Luis Alberto and Danilo Cataldi
Fast forward to his last season, the most used players were:
Marusic (27)
Acerbi (32)
Milinkovic-Savic (25)
Reina (37)
Immobile (30)
Luis Alberto (27)
Lazzari (26)
Correa (25)
Radu (33)
Lucas Leiva (33)
Patric (27)
Fares (24)
Hoedt (26)
Akpa Akpro (27)
Muriqi (26)
Luiz Felipe (23)
in minutes
Then in terms of appearances we also have;
Andreas Pereira (24)
Escalante (27)
Caicedo (31)
Parolo (35)
Cataldi (25)
Lulic (34)
So if you pay close attention, apart from Reina, almost all other players over 30 came much earlier or relatively earlier and stuck around for years.
Same season Inzaghi also used 4 players under 20 years old, albeit for limited minutes.
There's evidence to suggest that Inzaghi prefers familarity for example, but preferring older players isn't really his thing.
Half of these players were with him from day 1, and he got Hoedt back as well.